Tourists injured in Delhi shooting

Men riding motorcyle open fire near mosque, raising security concerns as Indian capital prepares to host sports meet.

Jama Masjid, the main mosque in Delhi, is a popular tourist destination [GALLO/GETTY]

Two men on a motorcycle have opened fire in the Indian capital at tourists near Jama Masjid, a 17th century mosque.

According to a Delhi police spokesman, the attackers randomly opened fire, injuring two Taiwanese tourists as they were about to board a bus parked near the mosque. Jaspal Singh, a senior police officer, said the condition of the injured was stable.

The area around the mosque, a popular tourist destination in the heart of Delhi, was cordoned off and police searched for the attackers in the the densely populated alleys around it.

The attack will further increase security concerns as Delhi prepares to host the Commonwealth Games 2010, due to begin on October 3. Security has been tightened in the city in the run-up to the event, in which 71 teams from around the world are expected to participate.

Police would not confirm whether armed groups were behind the attack.

Karnail Singh, a joint commissioner of police, said bystanders did not have a lot of information about the attack. "Eyewitnesses have told us the men were wearing raincoats and helmets.They fired around seven rounds before they sped away," he said.

In February, a powerful blast hit a restaurant in the western Indian city of Pune, killing 17 people. India has blamed the Indian Mujahideen, a homegrown armed group with suspected links to fighters in Pakistan, for that attack.

India remains jittery about a perceived threat of attacks from neighbouring Pakistan. It accuses its neighbour of failing to act against groups. Relations between India and Pakistan have been tense since the Mumbai attacks by Lashkar-e-Tayba, a Pakistan-based group, in 2008 that killed 166 people.